1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to network-enabled devices, i.e. devices with a network interface. Examples of network interfaces are Ethernet and Wi-Fi interfaces.
More particularly, this invention relates to an improved network-enabled device using an innovative method of simultaneous indication of at least two dimensions of device's operational state on a single light indicator, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), or a single set of light indicators; and using at least two different methods of said indication of device's operational state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many modern electronic devices include a network interface provided by the network controller of the device. The network interface connects said electronic devices to data networks. Such electronic devices may comprise finished devices, as well as network modules that can be used as building blocks for finished devices.
In the majority of cases, the network interface of a given electronic device is an Ethernet interface. In recent years, several wireless interfaces, such as Wi-Fi and ZigBee, have gained traction as well. An overwhelming majority of data networks are of TCP/IP type, but other types of networks also exist.
For the purpose of clarity, an electronic device incorporating a network interface will hereinafter be referred to as a network-enabled device. A network-enabled device with the Ethernet interface will hereinafter be referred to as an Ethernet device, while the same with the wireless interface will be referred to as a wireless device. A network module with the Ethernet interface will be referred to as an Ethernet module, while the same with the wireless interface will be referred to as a wireless module.
It is understood that a network-enabled device can simultaneously be the Ethernet and the wireless device. Similarly, a network module can simultaneously be the Ethernet and the wireless module.
The operation of the network interface within the network-enabled device is typically characterized by a number of operating parameters that may be of interest to the user. These parameters jointly form a network state.
For example, the user may want to know if a link is established with another device on the network (typically, a network hub), and, if established, what type of link that is—a 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s, or 1000 Mb/s link, a half-duplex or full-duplex link, and so on.
Many network-enabled devices characteristically use a set of light indicators to convey the current network state. Such light indicators are typically implemented as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Said light indicators will hereinafter be referred to as network LEDs with the understanding that the function of these LEDs is to indicate the current network state of the network-enabled device, and that the use of the term “network LED” shall not be taken in a manner limiting the implementation of light indicators only as LEDs.
Ethernet devices typically employ two network LEDs—one of green color, and one of yellow color.
The green network LED is conventionally employed to indicate the state of the Ethernet link. The LED is off (dark) when the link is not established, and on (emits light) when the link is established.
The yellow network LED is conventionally employed to indicate the mode of the established Ethernet link. The LED is off when the link is established at 10 Mb/s. The LED is on when the link is established at 100 Mb/s.
It is noteworthy that although most Ethernet devices default to the above status indication arrangement, there is a number of variations on the subject. For example, only the “link” LED could be present, and the “mode” LED left out of the Ethernet device. Alternatively, a third LED could exist and indicate a half-duplex or full-duplex nature of the link. These variations are immaterial to the scope and spirit of the present invention.
In a similar manner, the wireless interface may be idle or associated with a wireless access point. When associated, the state of the wireless interface may be characterized by the link speed, employed security protocol, current signal strength, and so on. A dedicated network LED or a set of network LEDs may be employed to convey these states to the user.
Regardless of the network interface type used on a particular network-enabled device, a plurality of current network operating parameters will be understood to form a first dimension of this device's operational state.
On wireless devices, there is no particularly popular method of integrating network LEDs into the device. On Ethernet devices, network LEDs may be separate from an RJ connector jack, or, as is often the case, be combined with the latter.
It shall be noted, that in the known network-enabled devices, network LEDs are controlled in a digital (binary) manner, meaning that a particular network LED can either be on, or off, with no meaningful information conveyed specifically through the brightness of this LED.
RJ connectors are commonly used in telecommunications, data networking equipment, and devices having an ability to connect to data networks. RJ connectors employ a male connector plug and a female connector jack.
For finished devices, the latter is typically mounted on the circuit board of the device and exposed in such a way as to allow the insertion of the male connector plug. For network modules, the jack and the network module are electrically connected with each other, commonly through the circuit board. Some connector jacks, such as the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,096, incorporate a network module into the connector jack itself.
A simplified drawing of a typical connector jack according to the prior art is shown on FIG. 1.
The conventional connector jack 10 characteristically comprises a generally rectangular housing 11, said housing 11 having a front face 12 with a receptacle 13 for receiving a male connector plug (not shown).
The front face 12 often includes or exposes a pair of LEDs 14. Of the two LEDs 14, one is typically of green color, and the other one is typically of yellow color. A wide variety of other color combinations is also available. Additionally, some connector jacks incorporate multi-color LEDs.
The mounting methods of LEDs 14 within the connector jack vary widely from design to design. Said LEDs may be mounted behind the front face 12, inside the connector jack 10 and connected to the front face 12 by light guides, or may be incorporated into the connector jack 10 in a multitude of other ways.
Some connector jack designs, such as the subject of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/144,914, anticipate the placement of LEDs 14 on the circuit board and under the connector jack.
The connector jack also incorporates pins or leads 15. These pins or leads 15 conduct electrical signals between the jack 10 and the circuit board (not shown). In cases where the connector jack 10 directly incorporates LEDs 14, some of the pins or leads 15 are electrically connected to said LEDs and allow the control of the same.
The network-enabled device typically has its own overall operating parameters of interest to the user. These parameters are generally independent from the operating parameters of the network interface and must be displayed separately. Such operating parameters jointly form a device state.
Regardless of the particular set of operating parameters exhibited by the network-enabled device, a plurality of device operating parameters will be understood to form a second dimension of this device's operational state.
On larger and (or) more expensive network-enabled devices, there may be an LCD panel (display), which can be utilized to display the device state. Smaller and (or) less expensive network-enabled devices often employ a dedicated LED or a set of LEDs. Such LEDs will hereinafter be referred to as device LEDs.
The term “device LED” is herein used to differentiate said device LEDs from the network LEDs. It is understood that the term “device LED” implies “device status LED” or “device light indicator”, and denotes an LED (lamp, or a light indicator of other type) that expresses either the overall state of the network-enabled device, or the state which is sufficiently different from or unrelated to the network state.
For example, in addition to two network LEDs, a DS100 serial-to-Ethernet converter manufactured by Tibbo Technology™ has two device LEDs: one green (“G”) and one red (“R”). A multitude of device states is expressed by generating various flashing (blinking) patterns.
For instance, an idle mode of the DS100 is indicated by two rapid flashes of the green device LED followed by a 2-second gap. This can be expressed as the following pattern:
G-G-----G-G----- . . . .
Running in the setup (configuration) mode is indicated by an alternate flashing of green and red device LEDs:
GRGRGRGR . . . .
Overall, there are more than ten different patterns and practice shows that one LED pair comprising LEDs of two different colors is very effective in conveying different device states. For simple devices, a single device LED will often suffice.
In the known network-enabled devices, network LEDs are typically controlled by the network controller of the network-enabled device, while the device LEDs are typically controlled by the CPU or microcontroller of the network-enabled device.
Referring particularly to FIG. 2, there shown a simplified block diagram of a typical Ethernet device according to the prior art.
An Ethernet device 100 incorporates a CPU or microcontroller 101. The latter is connected, through a data bus 102, to an Ethernet controller 103, which implements the network interface of said Ethernet device 100. In many Ethernet devices, the CPU or microcontroller 101 is also connected to other hardware 104. Said other hardware 104 may include RAM, flash memory, and other necessary components. These are immaterial to the scope and spirit of the present invention.
It is noteworthy, that some CPUs and microcontrollers on the market today incorporate Ethernet controllers, so blocks 101 and 103 may be realized as a single integrated circuit, with the data bus 102 existing within said integrated circuit.
The Ethernet controller 103 is coupled to a connector jack 10. Specifically, the Ethernet controller 103 and the connector jack 10 are linked by receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) line pairs 105. In addition, there are network LED control lines 106 that drive internal LEDs 14 of the connector jack 10. Thus, LEDs 14 serve as network LEDs of the Ethernet device 100. Although only two single-color LEDs 14 are shown, it is understood that there could be more LEDs and (or) multi-color LEDs built into the connector jack 10. Such variations are immaterial to the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The Ethernet device 100 also incorporates two standalone LEDs 16. Said LEDs are controlled, through device LED control lines 107, by the CPU or microcontroller 101. LEDs 16 serve as device LEDs of the Ethernet device 100.
Referring particularly to FIG. 3, there shown a simplified block diagram of a typical Ethernet module according to the prior art and a finished Ethernet device based on said Ethernet module. FIG. 3 illustrates, in particular, that both the Ethernet module and the finished Ethernet device each constitute network-enabled devices.
The Ethernet module 110 is typically installed on the circuit board of the finished Ethernet device 100. Said Ethernet module 110 incorporates the CPU or microcontroller 101, the data bus 102, the Ethernet controller 103, and other hardware 104, which may include RAM, flash memory, and other necessary peripherals.
The Ethernet module 110 has a number of pins, leads, or interface lines 111 through which it is coupled to the connector jack 10, LEDs 16 (two controlled by network LED control lines 106, and two controlled by device LED control lines 107), as well as external (with respect to the Ethernet module 110) hardware 113.
For the purpose of illustrating a wide variety of ways in which the network LEDs can be incorporated into the Ethernet device 100, the diagram on FIG. 3 shows LEDs 16, which are separate from the connector jack 10 (and not LEDs 14 built into the connector jack 10). Such a design shall not be construed as a specific feature of finished Ethernet devices incorporating Ethernet modules. Rather, it is as an illustration of an alternative way of incorporating LEDs into a network-enabled device.
Physically, the Ethernet module 110 can be implemented, for instance, as a circuit board with pins or leads for mounting on the host circuit board of the finished Ethernet device 100. Details of the physical construction of the Ethernet module 110 are immaterial to the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Referring particularly to FIG. 4, there shown a simplified block diagram of a typical finished wireless device based on a wireless module according to the prior art.
The wireless module 121 incorporates a wireless controller 122. The CPU or microcontroller 101, as well as the other hardware 104 are external with respect to the wireless module 121. The data bus 102 serves as an interface between the wireless module 121 and the CPU or microcontroller 101.
The wireless controller 122 drives, through a coaxial cable 123, an antenna 124. Additionally, the wireless module 121 controls one LED 16, which plays the role of the network LED. Having a single network LED shall not be construed as a specific feature of wireless devices. Rather, it is as an illustration of an alternative way of building network-enabled devices.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the network-enabled devices discussed herein can be constructed and (or) modularized in a multitude of other ways and typical diagrams presented on FIG. 2-4 do not describe the entire range of architectures available to said network-enabled devices. Many other architectures fall within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
Continuous miniaturization of electronics has led to a dramatic reduction in the outline dimensions of many products, network-enabled devices included. At the same time, development of highly integrated and low-cost network controllers and modules has brought about an era of ubiquitous networking, where scores of simple and inexpensive products incorporate a network interface and communicate with the outside world.
In this new era of simple and miniature network-enabled devices, the space is limited and every extra component counts. The fewer components a given network-enabled device contains, the better.
Reduced dimensions of some network-enabled devices have also led to the shrinkage of the available space on the face (faceplate, connector plate) of said devices. Connector jacks of Ethernet devices now often occupy a very significant portion of available faceplate real estate. This may be true to the point where it becomes difficult to find a place anywhere on the product's surface for even a simple pair of LEDs.
Additionally, there is a general minimalist design trend spreading throughout the industry, which calls for the maximum simplification of the product's look, as well as the reduction of the number of buttons, indicators, and other design elements exposed to the user.